The Beginning of a Long Road
by Drew Skye
Summary: Jill Valentine has just escaped the Spencer Mansion with her comrades. How can she cope with what has happened, and what is she going to do about Chris Redfield? This story is now complete!
1. Chapter 1

Jill Valentine was not afraid of showing emotion, but something inside told her to repress her emotions at the moment. A million things flying through her mind a minute, her ears still were ringing from the explosion of both the mansion and the tyrant. She sat next to Chris Redfield, one of her closest friends and coworkers. She glanced over at Barry and Rebecca sitting across from her. Barry was staring a picture he had, most likely of his family. Rebecca was laying across the rest of the seat, fast asleep. If anyone had been through hell and back, it was her. She kept her glance on Rebecca, such a peaceful look of rest on her face. Rather than sit and fight a new emotion with each thought, she decided to sleep. Besides, she would have to tell her side of things once they returned to the Police Department. She placed her head on Chris' shoulder, and closed her heavy eyes. As he placed his arm around her, she put her hand on his knee. From there, Jill drifted into pitch black, perfect dreamless sleep.

When Jill awoke, the helicopter was landing on the roof of the Police Station. She opened her eyes, still weary from sleep and worry. Chris removed his arm from her, and they looked at each other. It wasn't quite the gaze of lovers, but it meant more than a simple friendship. Jill smiled, and Chris helped her out of the helicopter. Again, Jill's mind began to race, screaming for answers, clawing for a hint of reason behind what she'd just been through. Before she became overwhelmed by her thoughts, she focused on other things. Chief Irons stood at the entrance to the Station from the roof. He had a strange look on his face, and without even asking what had happened, Irons muttered "Go Home. You will explain tomorrow."

Jill nodded, and the entire group shuffled past him. Jill walked closely next to Chris, nearly leaning on him. They walked past stares and "What happeneds!?" all through the Station, until they reached the exit. Rebecca and Barry said goodbye and left, while Chris and Jill walked farther to their cars. Jill had remained quiet, as did Chris, like they had some kind of profound silent understanding. They reached Jill's car, where they stopped. She looked up at Chris, with her keys in her hand. She felt a bubble of emotion come up, and her eyes started to fill with tears. "You gonna be okay?" Chris asked gingerly, acting as if he didn't notice for her sake.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Jill smiled, lying through her teeth. They stood again for a moment, as she composed herself. "I'm fine."

"If you're sure..." Chris replied. "I don't know about you, but I could use a shower. I'm going home."

Jill smiled. "I'll say."

After light laughter, they looked at each other, the two of them sensing that there is so much more between them than what has been said. He steps in to hug her, putting his hands around her waist and holding her close and tight. She squeezes him back, with her hands around his shoulders. "I'll call you later to make sure you're alright."

"Alright, I'll talk to you then." Jill smiles.

Chris hesitates, as if he wanted to say more. "Okay."

Jill gets into her car as Chris watches her, waving to her as she drives away. The drive home to her is a blur. Lost in more thought than she believes possible, she walks straight to her bathroom and turns on the hot water. She looks in the mirror at herself. Her uniform looks as if she hadn't survived the mansion incident herself. Not only was she covered in sweat, but she had blood spots in too many places to count, her arms and face filthy, and nearly covered in dust. No wonder she had gotten so many shocked looks when she and the others left. Piece by piece, she removed the uniform from her body until she stood naked in front of the mirror. She looked at her face. She didn't look the same to herself, she saw a different look in her eyes. She saw fear, confusion...she saw death. She didn't want to look at herself any longer.

She stepped into the shower, pulling the lever on the faucet. There was a pause, then hot water sprayed down from the showerhead above, like a steamy cleansing waterfall. Jill let the water hit her on her hair first, soaking it and the water cascaded down her face and chest, falling off of her and onto the shower floor. She stood there, thinking.

Thinking. Thinking of what really just happened. She may be alive, but she has sealed her fate. She knows she will spend the rest of her life fighting Umbrella, fighting against these murders so that those civilians and her teammates didn't die in vain. She thinks more. She realizes how many people she's really lost in one night. Enrico, Forest, Edward, Joseph, and Richard, who gave his life to save hers. She had lost many friends. She had lost pieces of herself with each of them. She saw Joseph being eaten alive by those dogs, those horrible dogs. She saw his last moments. She saw Kenneth, and didn't make it in time to save him from those horrid zombies. She felt confusion, blindsided. She walked into a deathtrap, deception. Wesker had walked them into this. All for personal gain...and Umbrella, the corporation that had made Raccoon City what it was, is responisble for all this? She felt the rage build up, the grief and guilt that she had lived while the others died. With the hot water hitting her, she finally let go of her emotions.

She let out a small whimper, shuddered, and began to sob. She cradled her head in her hands, and screamed. "Why!?" She cried out. "They didn't deserve to die! They had families, people who loved them!" As the steam filled her bathroom, she cried a bit longer, washing herself and sniffling. She looked down at the murky water, wondering whose blood she had washed off of her. Finally, she turned off the shower, standing in the steam. She grabbed a towel and began to dry herself. She looked down at her uniform in the floor and stepped over it into the hallway.

She needed to remind herself of what she had to be thankful for. After all, she did survive. Even if the mansion was destroyed, she knew she and her allies would be able to bring Umbrella down. It was just a question of when. She still had Chris as well...and she didn't know how she would be if she didn't have good 'ol Chris.

Chris...she needed to do some serious thinking about him. They've gotten close lately, but she knows that this mansion fiasco has only brought them closer. She looked at the clock. "Jesus, nine thirty?!" She thought to herself. She wanted to go to sleep and let everything sink in a bit further. First, she thought she should call Chris.

She headed to her bedroom and sat down on her bed. She thought about yesterday morning when she had gotten up, how different she was. How she took everything and everyone for granted. She thought about being alone in her house. She knew she could handle herself, she was Jill Valentine! However, Jill detested the thought of being alone right now. She picked up the phone and dialed Chris' phone number, without even having to think about it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, It's Jill."

"I know. You doin' okay?"

Jill paused. "I'll be okay. How about you?"

"I'm fine, just worried about you. You had this look in your eyes..."

"Listen, I don't really feel comfortable being alone right now."

"I understand what you mean, I'm still a little creeped out myself. Do you want me to come over?"

Jill smiled. "I would love for you to."

That's why she liked Chris. No matter what, he always made her smile. He always knew what to say, he knew how to handle her. He protected her, he made her feel safe. Not to mention he was so cute...

"I'll be on my way in a few minutes then, now that I don't smell like the living dead."

Living dead...Jill had nothing to say back. It felt too soon to make any jokes, though she knew he didn't mean it like that.

Sensing the bad timing, Chris was quick to say something else.

"Er, I guess you could say I smell pretty good now."

She loved the awkwardness. "I'll be the judge of that. Have you thought about what we're going to tell Chief Irons yet?"

There was a moment of silence. "I think we should just take it all one day at a time. I'm not going to worry about it tomorrow. Anyway, I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Alright, see you then." Jill sighed as she hung up.

She wasn't quite sure what they were going to do once he got there, but she had plans for sleeping. She was sure he did as well. Jill chuckled to herself as she wondered where he would sleep. The couch wasn't that comfortable, but of course the floor wasn't any better. Well, he could always sleep in her bed. She wouldn't mind sharing...

She sat on her bed, already feeling a bit better with Chris on the way. She still felt as if she would never get over last night, but she knew with Chris by her side, she would be able to conquer whatever she faced.


	2. Chapter 2

In the past, fear wasn't much of a factor to Chris Redfield. He prided himself on his courage. It has not only saved his life, but his comrades' lives in the past as well. As fate would have it, fear entered his mind on July 24-The Spencer Mansion incident.

He had spent the majority of his time there in the mansion wandering, looking for something that wasn't trying to kill him; more specifically his teammates. They all had disappeared. He wanted his entire team to be safe, but in the back of his mind he was looking for one specific teammate: Jill Valentine. To him, Jill was not just a friend, not just a coworker. He was captivated by everything about her, from her lean shapely body to her eyes, to the way she laughed at his jokes. She was to him, perfect in every sense.

He found his mind wandering to her quite frequently most days. He could find a way to relate Jill to anything he thought about. One thing he never expected though, was to actually be afraid he had lost her. The entire night, he had a pit in his gut; such a heavy sinking feeling. Even when he found Rebecca, he was disappointed it wasn't Jill (though he was glad he had found her as well.)

Chris had nearly gone through the entire Arklay facility before he finally found her locked up in a small jail cell. He had actually contemplated that he might meet her as the undead. However, to his joy and surprise he found Jill's petite frame perched on the edge of that ratty bed, with a hand on her chin. She too was glad he had found her, so much that they nearly kissed.

From killing the tyrant to comprehending Wesker's betrayal, Chris had been trying to contemplate too many things. However, when Jill laid her head to rest on his shoulder, she instantly cleared his mind. He placed his arm around her, wanting her to know that he wouldn't let anything else happen to her, even if it meant the end of him. During the ride home he replayed the night in his mind. Seeing his comrades dead, even having to kill them. He had seen Enrico die, when there was a fighting chance he might've survived if that bastard Wesker hadn't shot him. He let out a small sigh, his way of grieving his lost teammates. He had a strange outlook on death ever since he lost his parents to a car wreck. That was all in the past.

When they arrived at the police station, he removed his arm from Jill as she awoke, and being the gentleman he was helped Rebecca and then Jill out of the helicopter. Jill gave him a seemingly forced smile, which concerned him. He was trying to figure her out, she seemed so different than she was even yesterday. Of course, he had remembered what fear felt like last night, which was unlike him. Perhaps this incident in the forest would change them all. He prayed it didn't change enough for he and Jill to not be close.

They walked through the station to the parking lot, all the while getting shocked looks. Jill was ever quiet, and he knew she was trying to comprehend everything just as he and the rest of the group was. None of them said a word. When they reached the parking lot, Barry and Rebecca said their goodbyes and Jill made her way to her car. Chris' car wasn't far from hers, and he followed her. When they reached Jill's car, she looked at him with this terrible look of fear and she began to tear up. He wanted to say something comforting, anything at all...but he wasn't sure how he could offer her comfort after feeling the same way she did. Still yet, it bothered him to see her upset.

She composed herself and assured him she'd be fine, but he knew she wasn't. He have her a hug, and squeezed her. It seemed like what she needed; a rock. Chris was sure he could do that.

"I'll call you to make sure you're alright." he told her, as reassuringly as he could.

"Alright, I'll talk to you then."

Chris wanted so badly to tell her that he was so glad she was okay, that he had worried the entire time they were apart in that hell hole, that he wished she had kissed him in that prison...but he didn't know for sure how she felt.

"Okay." was all he could muster.

Chris had taken his time in the shower, and when he stepped out he grabbed a towel and looked at his uniform in the floor. It was filthy. Normally he wouldn't leave his uniform in the floor, but it represented something he really didn't like anymore. He felt like S.T.A.R.S. was a toy that belonged to Umbrella. Or maybe just Wesker...

He had nearly dried himself off when the phone rang. He knew instantly exactly who it was. Maybe there was hope still yet...

He answered, and spoke with Jill for a bit. She had told him she wasn't comfortable being alone, and he felt his stomach leap. She could've called Barry, or even Rebecca, but she chose to call him. It surely stood for something. He felt so elementary with his 'crush' on Jill, but these feelings were rather new to him. He didn't really feel like this with his past girlfriends, and he hadn't even gotten there with Jill. He offered to come over, and she said she "would love that." Chris hadn't gotten dressed any faster in his entire life. Not even when he was running late.

As he was driving to her house, he kept thinking about what she must've seen while she was in the mansion. Had she fought one of those clawed green mutants that shrieked? Did she see that giant overgrown snake in the attic? What about that plant...he had to stop himself. It doesn't matter what she saw, what matters is they're alive.

Making sure to play it as cool as possible, he got out of his car, closed the door and strutted to the front door. He knocked, and he heard Jill holler "It's open!" He smirked, wondering if she ever answered her door. Even when had been over there before, they would order pizza and she would have him answer and pay the pizza boy. He entered the house, and it smelled exactly like her. He looked around the living room, where he and Jill had drank beer and watched football together. It was actually a pretty cozy house, more of a home than his.

"I'm in here!" Jill called out to him.

Chris walked down the hallway, glanced at Jill's uniform in the floor, and smirked. He entered her bedroom, and feasted on the incredible beauty that was Jill Valentine. She was petite, but powerful. Very toned. She stood there in a black tank top and athletic shorts, the kind that cheerleaders wore. He was mesmerized. Her short hair was still wet, falling just past her chin. She looked at him, and have him one of her genuine smiles.

"Thanks a lot for coming over, it means a lot to me."

"Well, you never say no to a beautiful lady, especially if she calls you friend."

Jill laughed and looked down at herself. "Oh, go to hell Redfield. I'm not even wearing makeup." He could see the slightest bit of blush come up in her cheeks.

He laughed, and walked up to her to give her a hug. "I'm really glad you're alright after what happened."

He put his arms around her and she returned the embrace. She nuzzled her head up to his neck, and sighed. He could feel her breath on his neck. He wished he had done this when she was about to cry earlier.

"I am too. I don't know what I'd do without you." He felt moisture on his neck and she sniffled. Was she crying?

"I'm sorry." She said, her voice breaking

"Why? You have every reason to be upset, Jill. We all do."

"I think I should just go to sleep. Hopefully I won't be able to think about it then."

"Yeah, sleep sounds pretty good" Chris says.

"Do you think you could sleep here too?"

Chris' heart nearly jumps out of his mouth. "Yeah, if that's what you want."

"I'd like that."

"Alright, I'm going to get more comfortable." He may just be sleeping on her couch, but that's more than sleeping in his apartment alone.

He and Jill seperated, and she had a tear on her face still. Chris reached up gently and wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. They looked at each other and he thought about how smooth her skin was.

He walked into Jill's bathroom, and stepped over her uniform in the floor. On most nights, Chris slept in only his underwear. That's what he was most comfortable in. Today though, he only took off his jeans. He folded his jeans up and placed them on the counter next to the sink. He walked back into Jill's bedroom, and asked "Where do you want me to sleep? The couch?"

Jill sat on the edge of her bed, looking to the floor.

"It's not really that comfortable to sleep on."

"Where else would I sleep?" Chris asked, chuckling to himself.

"Well..." Jill replied "You could sleep in my bed." Chris thought he was going to explode.

"Where would you sleep then?" He asked, playing it cool.

Jill smirked. "There's plenty of room for both of us here. I just want someone in the same room with me."

Chris beamed. "I don't have any objections with that at all."

Jill looked up and realized Chris was in his underwear and a T-shirt. After looking him up and down a few times, he flashed his electric smile at her and she laughed.

"I didn't know you were a boxer-briefs type of guy, Redfield."

"Oh?" Chris laughed, looking down at himself. "What did you think Valentine?"

Jill blushed. "I'm not sure. Commando, maybe?"

They both laughed.

He walked over to the other side of the bed, and slid under the covers with her. He felt like he was in Heaven, laying next to a goddess like Jill Valentine.

"Goodnight Chris." Jill said with a smile.

"Night."

Chapter Three is in the works and on it's way!  
Let me know how I'm doing! 


	3. Chapter 3

Chris was having an extremely hard time sleeping. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to Jill's rhythmic breaths of rest. Everytime he closed his eyes, he saw his dead teammates. He saw Wesker's smirk of triumph when he had thought the tyrant would kill him. He saw the entire night all over again. He sighed, and turned over on his side to face Jill. She was not wearing make up, her hair was wavy from being slept on wet, and she had a few scabs on her arms from her tour of the mansion. She too was laying on her side, and he couldn't help but notice the cleavage spilling our of her tank top. She was gorgeous, even when she wasn't quite at her best. 

He sighed yet another exasperated sigh, looked at Jill's cleavage again, and closed his eyes. Finally, he could feel himself drift off into rest.

Jill stood in the parlor room in the mansion, looking at the shotgun sitting prominently above the mantle. Removing it from it's rack, she didn't pay attention to the racks slide up with a 'click.' Seeing nothing else of use to her, she exited the room, with a strange clicking sound as the door closed. It must've locked itself. Walking leisurely into the center of the odd hallway type room, the looked at the dust fall from the ceiling. She looked up, and to her disbelief and terror the ceiling was coming down on her! She ran to the exit, knowing if she ran into the other room, she would be locked away forever in that parlor room. She turned the knob and began to panic as she realized that the door was locked as well. She was trapped! Thinking of it as a last resort, she began to scream and yell.

"CHRIS! BARRY! WESKER!!!! HELP!" To her despair, there was no answer.

She slammed her fist on the door a few times, sinking down to the floor and yelling. She wondered if she would die there. The ceiling was nearly to the door! Tears came to Jill's eyes as she screamed one last time.

"SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE!" She cried.

"Jill?" Barry's gruff voice sounded on the other side of the door.

"BARRY! HURRY, THE DOOR'S LOCKED GET ME OUT, QUICK!"

Hearing the doorknob rattle and and muffled curseword, she looked up to the ceiling that was close to on top of her. Despite Barry's efforts, Jill thought she would see her end.

A gunshot rang out, and a metallic 'ping' rang in her ear. The door opened, and Barry's eyes widened as the ceiling was coming down on her. He grabbed her hand, and pulled her out as fast as he could. Jill felt the ceiling touch her boot as she narrowly escaped the deathtrap. She looked to Barry with a smile. "Oh, that was close--"

She was cut off by the gun pointed in her face. Barry was already on his feet, staring down at Jill with the look of pure evil in his eyes. She looked down the barrel, not understanding. She was not a zombie, why would he have her at gunpoint? She looked up at Barry, and opened her mouth to ask why.

Before she could get anything out of her mouth, Barry pulled the trigger.

BLAM!

Jill jerked almost violently with a gasp. She sat up in the bed, and walked to the bathroom. She closed the door, and stepped over her uniform again. Would she ever be able to remove it from the floor? It symbolized death to her now, considering there were only about five S.T.A.R.S. members left. She sighed, and walked to the sink to wash her face. She turned on the hot and cold water until they reached a medium she could live with. She cupped the water in her hands, and brought it to her face. She then grabbed the small towel behind her to dry her face. Walking back into her bedroom, she placed herself gingerly back next to Chris. She looked over at him to see if she had disturbed him. It was almost like he was smiling in his sleep. It was so cute she had to smile to herself.

Her mind went back to Barry. She had felt so betrayed by him. He had lead her through a majority of the mansion with intention of leading her to her death. Of course, it was later revealed to her that Wesker had made him do it...but that didn't make the pain go away. She wasn't sure how she would react had she been in Barry's position, but she wished he had come to her. She would have helped him out in a pinch. The odds were better with two to one. Besides, Wesker ended up getting what was coming to him anyway. What bothered her was she trusted both Barry and Wesker with her life, but in doing so she nearly died. It might be awhile before she came to trust another person like that.

She lay there, thinking. There was no way she was going back to sleep to have another dream like that. She looked over to her nightstand, and picked up the remote to her stereo. She turned on the radio, making sure to turn the volume low enough so that Chris didn't wake up. She could listen to music in the living room, but she liked lying next to him.

The radio's speakers whispered the end to a Paul McCartney song. "Hey hey hey!" a man's voice said in a sing-songy voice. "You're listening to the best morning show in Raccoon City! Here, on Mix106! It's me, DJ Smiles here with my sidekick and partner in crime Johnny-J!"

She tuned him out for a second, his upbeat cheerful tone was too much, too soon for her. He wouldn't sound so happy if he'd seen what she had. After a few minutes of him talking, he started to say something that interested her.

"Here's a tune for you Bond fans..."The Look of Love," here on Mix106!"

Jill smiled to herself. Ever since she was a little girl she had watched the James Bond movies. She didn't have to think twice to know that this song came from Casino Royale. She had even had a crush on James Bond when she was a little girl. The more she thought about it, Chris reminded her a bit of James Bond...

She almost laughed out loud. He was nearly the opposite of him. There was no British accent, no tuxedo, he had a decent car, but not like a Bond car. He also didn't work for the British government. Instead, he worked with her for an organization that was controlled by Umbrella. She frowned. He wasn't nearly as debonaire either. Chris was still a gentleman though, a very good looking one at that. Perhaps her feelings for him reminded her of the romances in Bond movies...

The smooth beat flowed through the speakers softly, and she turned over to look at Chris. A piano accompanied the soft beat, and the woman's sensual voice began to speak to Jill.

_The look of love is in your eyes _

_A look your smile can't disguise _

_The look of love _

_Is saying so much more than these words could ever say _

_And what my heart has heard, well it takes my breath away_

She looked at Chris, still asleep with that silly smile on his face. He sleeps like a rock. She reached over gently and put her fingers in his spiky hair.

_I can hardly wait to hold you, feel my arms around you _

_How long I have waited _

_Waited just to hold you, now that I have found you..._

She slowly moved her fingers from his hair, down to his stubbled face. She smiled as the song heightened the moment for her. It wasn't just an attraction to Chris. She had dated other men, she had even loved other men. Chris was different. He made her forget everything bad, even when they were in the mansion. She moved her hand down to where his neck and shoulder met. Chris' smile seemed to get even bigger in his sleep.

_You've got the look of love, it's on your face _

_A look that time can't erase _

_Be mine tonight Let this be just the start of so many nights like this_

_ Let's take a lover's vow and then seal it with a kiss_

A kiss...He's been a perfect gentleman to her, paitently waiting for her to give him a sign. She wasn't completely confident, but she could tell Chris shared these feelings between them. So what were they waiting for? She stopped herself. She too had been hesitant to show affection.

_I can hardly wait to hold you, feel my arms around you_

_ How long I have waited _

_Waited just to hold you, now that I have found you _

_Don't ever go _

_Don't ever go _

_I love you so_

The song faded out as gently as it came, but left Jill with questions to answer. Was it love? How could she tell if it was? She wanted to just wake him up and kiss him, and get his reaction. Then she would know.

With her hand still on the crook of Chris' neck, she slowly pulled herself closer to him. She put her arms around his neck, and Chris stirred. Still in a fog of sleep, Chris placed his hands around Jill and pulled her even closer, so that their bodies touched. She laid her head on his chest, and closed her eyes in an embrace that felt all too natural between them.

This time if she had a bad dream, she would have Chris right there should she need him to help her chase it away...

"The Look of Love" was originally sung by Dusty Springfield for Casino Royale, but has since been covered by many artists.  
I chose to use the cover of this song by Nina Simone, because it happens to be my favorite. : )

Unfortunately, I do not own James Bond, his movies or the song mentioned above. If I did I could make a movie out of this rather than write about it...

Oh, and if I were you, I would listen to the song if possible. It just enhances the story if you've heard the song.

"The Look of Love" by Nina Simone

Hope you loved it!


	4. Chapter 4

Chris and Jill lay together, with their arms around each other in perfect sleep. The radio played softly, forgotten by Jill in her moment of realization. The wind blew outside, and a dog barked. The sound was barely audible through the windows, but the barking was answered by Jill's neighbor's dog. At first, neither of them stirred, but when the dog barked loudly once more and then howled, the two shot up out of their embrace. They both had jumped out of the bed, Chris standing in front of Jill protectively. 

"It's just the dog next door..." Jill said softly.

They looked at each other, panting, and Chris let go of her hand.

"Just the dog next door..." Chris repeated.

They began to laugh at their paranoia.

Jill looked at the clock. "Wow, it's five o' clock. Guess we needed to wake up anyway."

Chris nodded, and his stomach growled.

Chris rubbed his stomach, and said "Now I'm ready to eat! How about we go out and get a bite, talk about what happened?"

Jill looked down at herself. "I look like hell. Let me get ready and then we'll go."

Chris smirked. "It's just Grill 13. You won't have to look like Miss America Valentine."

"Believe it or not, some people care about their appearances Redfield." Jill quipped, smiling widely.

Chris laughed, knowing he couldn't win with her. Not that he wanted to.

"Yeah, yeah. No sightseeing though. I'm starving."

Chris walked into her bathroom and got his jeans, stepping over her uniform yet again. He put his jeans on, and walked into the hallway. Jill walked past him, smiling. "Ten minutes, tops."

He walked into her living room, and sat down on her couch. Looking over at the remote, he turned on the TV. It was the news.

"In other news--" the anchor said. "The members of S.T.A.R.S. have lost a considerable amount of members after a home in the forest exploded. Very few members survived the explosion, narrowly escaping in a helicopter. Firefighters extinguished the flames around eight this morning. This incident is currently under ivestigation by Chief Brian Irons. It is unknown if foul play is expected."

Chris' expression darkened. They're going to make this look like S.T.A.R.S. did it! He needed to tell Chief Irons what really happened, and get a formal investigation into Umbrella.

Chris looked at the clock on the TV. It had been about five minutes.

"Five minutes left, Valentine!"

Jill sighed as Chris yelled at her through the bathroom door. She had no idea what to do with her wavy hair. Deciding to give in to it, she reached into her cabinet, grabbed mousse, and put some in her hand. She put it in her hair, and made her hair look curly. She put on deodorant, and quickly put on eyeliner. She didn't want to look like a complete slob sitting across from him.

She went back into her room and grabbed a pair of jeans to change into. She quickly changed out of her shorts into jeans and put on some tennis shoes. She sprayed her perfume on her wrists and then some on her chest.

She walked out of her bedroom, into the living room and said "I'm ready."

"You're late." Chris joked. He smelled her perfume as she walked past him. He closed his eyes and took a breath. She smelled so good.

"The media already knows about the mansion and that S.T.A.R.S. is basically decimated."

Jill's eyes widened. "Are you kidding?"

"I wish I was. They said the fire department responded to the explosion of the mansion, and that we escaped just in time...and Irons is investigating."

Jill's eyes narrowed. "You don't think they're going to make us look like we're behind it, are they?"

Chris shrugged, and his stomach growled again.

"Come on, I'm starving."

Jill patted his stomach, smirking. "We had better get you fed then."

They walked out of Jill's house, and she locked the door. They got into Chris' car and drove down to Grill 13. He looked over to Jill, who was looking out the window, being unusually quiet. He wondered what she was thinking. He knew what he was going to tell her when they got into the restaraunt. It was a tough decision, and he made it. No more games. He was afraid they didn't have time to play them anymore.

He got out of the car, and opened the passenger door for Jill. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you."

She stepped out of the car, and as she and Chris walked in she heard a crow caw. She grabbed Chris' hand. She felt so paranoid, so broken. This virus made anything and almost everything a weapon. She wondered if it was even okay to breathe. Chris looked at her, and smiled.

"They're not here, Jill."

"Yes they are." Jill said, tapping her temple. "They'll always be here."

Chris nodded.

"I know what you mean. I don't know if I'll ever forget what happened. Did I mention how good you look?" He asked, smiling at her as sweetly as he could.

She looked away like a shy schoolgirl and laughed. "Thanks. You look pretty good too."

They walked into the restaraunt, and sat down. Chris was about to say something when their waitress walked up to them.

"Hi, I'm Dani, and I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you some drinks?" She asked enthusiastically.

"I'll have a Pepsi" Chris said

"Make that two."

The waitress scrawled it down on her writing pad with a smile. "Okay, I'll get those right out to you."

Chris looked over to Jill, who was looking at him.

"How long did you stay in that cell?" Chris asked gingerly

Jill blinked. "Maybe an hour? Wesker had let me wander around the mansion for a while. How did you get in? We went to look for you."

He didn't exactly know how he got seperated from the group, but the dogs chased him around the front side of the mansion, and he ended up coming in by the side door where he had found the chemical to kill that troublesome plant in that garden like room.

"I came in in a side door, and didn't see anyone when I made it to the main hall. Not even Wesker."

He looked at Jill's face a little more closely. A small bruise had come up faintly under her eye.

"What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?"

Jill touched under her eye. "Yeah, Wesker did."

"I can't believe that." Chris said in a low voice. He had never wanted to kill anyone before until now.

"It's all in the past now. Besides, Wesker is dead anyway."

He looked up at her. "Yeah, that's true." God, she's beautiful. He wanted to tell her exactly what was on his mind.

He opened his mouth to speak, and the waitress brought up their drinks. "Two pepsis!" She said with a smile.

"Thanks" They both said.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yeah, I'll have the Cheeseburger and fries combo meal. Hold the onions."

"Alright" the waitress said "and you, ma'am?"

Jill looked up at the waitress. "I'll have the chicken strip meal, with gravy on the side."

"Okay! I'll get that back for you guys!" She said, walking briskly away from them.

"Wow, she's cheerful." Jill said.

"Yeah, she is." Chris took a deep breath.

"Jill--" He started. "When I was in the mansion, I was looking for you the entire time. I hadn't realized exactly how much I value our friendship until I thought I was going to lose you. You have no idea how relieved I was when I saw you behind those bars. And then when we woke up earlier..."

Jill sighed. "I feel exactly the same way. You make me feel safe. I like having you around, Chris. You're my best friend."

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his spiky hair. "I want to tell you...how I feel. Since last night, I realized how short life was. One thing that really scared me was that I woudn't be able to see you anymore, talk to you...hug you."

Jill looked down at the table and looked back up at him with tears in her eyes. "Chris...I really care about you, but is dating a good idea?"

Chris' heart sank. "Yes, it is."

She was nearly crying. "What if I died? What if you died? Umbrella's not just going to let us go. How could a relationship work under so much stress?"

"My parents did it. If I got lucky enough to have a relationship with you, and I died tomorrow...I would die the happiest man on earth. Jill, it's something we both want. What if we lived for another 30 years? Wouldn't we regret not taking it farther? We can't predict the future. We can enjoy the here and now, though."

Jill looked at Chris with her watery eyes, and he took her hands from across the table.

"All we have to do is try."

"I just don't know. It is something I want, but I'm so afraid of losing you. If something happened to you, I don't know if I could live. If we got any closer, I know I couldn't."

"I feel the same way."

The waitress brought them their meals. She turned around and left, noticing they were in deep conversation. At first, they sat there eating quietly. Chris felt like scum. Either she liked him or she didn't...and it wasn't looking good for him after all.

Jill took a bite of her chicken strips, thinking long and hard about what was just said. She cared about Chris more than she knew, and even while they were sleeping earlier she had never felt so good about a guy. Everything was right as rain for her--but something still bothered her about it. She felt guilty for having a relationship when Enrico had a wife and kids that missed him. Forest had a girlfriend...but now she doesn't have a boyfriend. So many people have died that she had held dear, and she was deathly afraid of losing Chris too.

She swallowed, and looked up at Chris. He looked miserable, almost heartbroken.

Against what she believed sensible, she told him "I want to date you, but I want to take everything one day at a time."

Chris looked up with a completely different expression. "Really?"

"Yes. I care a lot about you. It was so nice holding you while we slept."

Chris smiled.

The rest of the meal was relatively quiet. Jill put her foot on Chris', and nudged it gently. After they finished their meal, Chris paid the tab and the waitress told them "Have a great night!"

They both smiled, walking out of Grill 13 not as close friends, but as a couple.

He opened the car door for her, and she got in. He walked around to his side of the car, his heart still singing from when she had agreed to date him. He opened the door and flung himself into his seat.

"Where to now?" he asked smiling.

She looked over at him, smiling.

"My house. We have more cuddling to do."

This was kinda difficult to write, capturing the emotion and all. Please be gentle if it was bad /


	5. Chapter 5

Jill had many things running through her mind on July 26, 1998. She and the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members had to meet with the chief of police to explain everything, with their reports ready. She had tried to eat breakfast, but could not get past the knots in her stomach to consume anything. From the mansion incident to deciding to date Chris, her mind was in overdrive trying to process everything. She was standing in front of her bathroom mirror, putting on her eyeliner and making sure her hair was presentable. She stepped back from her mirror, and gave herself a once over. She wasn't dressed in uniform; after the meeting she and the others would be suspended while an investigation would be performed. She was wearing a black blazer with a tube top a lighter shade of blue underneath, matching slacks and black flats. She looked herself up and down, and let out a sigh.

She looked at her watch, everything was going smoothly so far. She walked into her bedroom where a mass of sheets, pillows and comforter were snoring. She continued to the side of her bed, and removed the sheet from the creature's head, who turned out to be Chris Redfield.

"Chris, wake up. We're going to be late for the meeting if you don't get moving!"

He opened his eyes groggily and smiled through a sleepy haze at her.

"What, Not even five more minutes?"

"I already gave you five minutes. Ten minutes ago."

Chris moaned and sat up. He stretched his arms out and yawned loudly.

"If you hurry up and get out of the shower and get dressed, I made some bacon and eggs. C'mon, I've even laid out your clothes in the bathroom."

"Are you going to bathe me too?" Chris asked with an ornery smile.

"Just get to steppin' Redfield."

Chris got out of bed, and dragged himself into the bathroom smiling to himself. He hadn't had anyone do so much for him since his mother was still alive. Jill had been apprehensive about dating him at first, but she seems to have settled into the role quite comfortably in the entire day they've been dating. Yet, on the other side of things it wouldn't have surprised him if she had done it when they weren't dating. Jill was just maternal--she took care of those she cared about.

Chris stepped into the shower and turned on the water, letting it warm up and then pulling the faucet lever. He and Jill had went out to dinner the night before, where he had really laid his heart on the line. Jill had nearly crushed it, but right before she had done permanent damage, she agreed to try and take things further with him. From there, they went home and cuddled on the couch watching the news, and went from there to write their reports. After making sure to cover every last detail in staunch accuracy, they had spent nearly five hours writing. Jill had stopped a few times to cry, which prompted Chris to stop and comfort her. Combined, their reports made about thirty pages. Needless to say, it was a late night.

He looked around for a bar of soap. The only thing in her shower was cherry blossom scented body wash, the kind that's applied with a loofa. He didn't really care to smell like Jill, no matter how good she smelled. He placed the body wash back on the shelf and used shampoo to wash himself, and then putting it in his hair. It smelled girly as well, but not as girly as the body wash. He stepped out of the shower, and dried himself off with the towel Jill had also laid out for him. He smiled. Was there anything she had forgotten to do for him? He put on his clothes, khaki pants with a light green polo shirt. He put on his shoes he had worn the day before, which to his luck matched, and walked out into the hallway. He glanced into the bedroom, but Jill was nowhere to be found. He walked into the kitchen, where she was putting his plate together.

Chris chuckled. "Damn, it doesn't get any better than this."

Jill looked up from what she was doing, and smiled. "Yeah, well don't get too used to it. If we weren't on the verge of running late, this wouldn't be happening for you."

She stopped what she was doing and looked him up and down.

"You look nice."

Chris smirked. "Yeah, so do you."

She smiled, and looked down at his plate bashfully. "Thanks. You better eat!"

He walked to the table and went to sat down, but before Jill could slip past him he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.

"Thanks for breakfast." He said lovingly, and kissed her on the cheek. The kiss felt nearly electric to Jill, being the first time he had kissed her and not she kissing him on the cheek. The two still hadn't actually kissed each other; it seemed everytime they got close to doing so there were interruptions. Her face felt hot to her after he kissed her, no doubt her blushing, and she grinned a silly lovesick smile.

"It was nothing."

Chris sat down at the table, picked up his fork and started to eat. Jill was a pretty decent cook. He watched her as she walked out of the kitchen. Within a few minutes, she returned to the kitchen with their reports in her hand and she sat them down at the table. She walked over to the coffee maker where she had a fresh pot brewing. Chris could smell it, wondering why it didn't taste as good as it smelled.

"You want anything to drink? I've got orange juice and milk. I've got some soda too if you're craving caffeine." She asked as she poured herself coffee in a mug. She knew he didn't like coffee, and she couldn't fathom why. She had to have at least one cup every morning.

"Orange juice sounds good, but I'll get it myself. You've done enough already." Chris smiled at her, with a mouthful of eggs.

"I'm already up, Redfield. What'll it be?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Orange juice."

She grabbed a juice glass out of the cupboard, and poured him some orange juice. She walked over to the table with the coffee and the juice and set them on the table.

"Thanks, doll."

Jill's eyes shot up at him. She knew he didn't know, but that's what her mother called her. It didn't bother her to be called that, but she found it odd that he called her that out of the blue.

She smirked. "You're welcome, doll."

She took a few sips of her coffee, and looked at her watch.

"Shoot. Chris, we've got to go. We're going to be late."

Chris swallowed another mouthful of eggs, and chugged his orange juice.

"Let's go then."

She handed Chris the reports, and they both walked to the front door. He opened the door for her, and he closed the door behind them. Jill pulled out her keys, and locked the door from the deadbolt. They walked over to Chris' car, and got in.

They were driving down the road, and Jill let out a sigh.

"What do you think Irons is going to ask us?"

Chris shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "He'll probably just ask for our reports. Those explain everything."

"Do you think he's going to investigate this as if we were behind it?"

"Probably, especially after the way the news made it sound."

Jill grimaced. "That would really piss me off if he did. We had nothing to do with it, and he knows it."

Chris parked in the underground parking lot, and the two of them walked into the entrance, going past their coworkers and listening to the speculation around them. They made it to the second floor, going to the S.T.A.R.S. office like Chief Irons had intsructed them to do. They walked into the corridor where the office was. Chris opened the door for Jill, and they walked into the office. Jill walked over to her desk, and Chris to his. Barry and Rebecca sat in their desks, having a quiet conversation, most likely about what they had seen.

Barry and Rebecca's attention went to Chris and Jill as they sat down in their chairs. The room was awkward and silent, mostly because of the tension between Barry and Jill.

Rebecca was first to break the silence. "Hey guys...how are you holding up?"

Jill smiled politely, and Chris moved his hand back and forth. "We've had a few moments." Chris replied.

"I have too, especially when I hear dogs."

Jill and Chris looked at each other and laughed, nodding.

Jill looked over to Barry, who had a look of guilt and shame on his face.  
She got up, and walked over to him, and he stood up.

"How about you, big guy? You doing okay?"

The big man looked down at Jill, nearly in tears. "I'm as good as I deserve to be."

Jill put her hand on his arm. "Barry, we all understand why you did what you did."

"I betrayed all of you. I don't deserve to be here."

Jill frowned. "Of course you do! We all forgive you, Barry. All you have to do is forgive yourself." Jill wasn't being completely truthful with him. It would take awhile before she would be completely ready to trust him again, but she could tell he felt terribly about it.

Barry's eyes looked to the ground miserably. Jill hugged him, and Barry returned her hug.

"You're gonna be fine Burton. We've gone too far together to not make it now."

The door opened, and Brad Vickers walked in. No one greeted him. No one wanted to talk to him. If it wasn't for him, they wouldn't be in this situation. Vickers had truly earned his nickname "Chickenheart" for life. There was no way he could ever live this down.

Jill walked to her seat, and they all waited in silence. No one wanted to talk about their experience that night. It was full of death, full of fear. Things they might never get over.

In the sheer silence, they could hear Chief Irons' footsteps outside the office. The doorknob turned, and the plump man walked into the silent room. He walked over to what used to be Albert Wesker's desk, and set down a manilla folder.

"Well..." Chief Irons' whiny voice squawked, scanning the five remaining S.T.A.R.S. members for answers. "Who wants to be the first to tell me what the hell happened out there?"

Well, chapter five is finally finished after a bout of writer's block. Hope it was worth the wait!


	6. Chapter 6

The room remained silent, and everyone looked to their desks. Irons stood there, looking everyone over to see their despair. He knew what they had seen; he had just wanted to hear it from them. 

"What, have you all gone retarded? What happened!?"

Chris looked up quickly, his piercing eyes glinting angrily.

"You wanna know what happened, Irons? We saw people die. No, not just people. Our teammates. We saw Joseph die, saw Forest pecked to death by crows. Not to mention Kenneth...and then there were zombies. Yeah Irons, zombies...and dogs. Dogs that ate people. Richard died from saving Jill from a giant snake, and I fought mutant sharks. Then there were these green monsters that could take your head off that almost killed Chambers over there, and then there was a giant plant...Irons, I could go on for hours about what we all saw that night. The important thing is, we found out this was all caused by a virus engineered by Umbrella. The T-Virus. We found documents inside the mansion that incriminated Umbrella, and we also discovered that Wesker was working for them, and we all were supposed to be just tests to see how well their 'products' held up. All we were supposed to be was battle data. So no Irons, we haven't gone retarded. We just don't know where to start with you. Our reports should explain it perfectly. Or have you forgotten how to read?"

Chris moved his gaze down back to his desk, and he felt a soft hand on his arm. It was Jill. He looked over at her, and she gave his arm a squeeze. Irons' lumpy face turned red, most likely from anger, and he narrowed his eyes.

"If you ever speak to me like that again, Redfield...I'll have your badge. To even try and accuse Umbrella of such a thing is ridiculous." Irons said, experiencing a loss of words at what they actually knew. He knew that they had learned more than they should've, and he wasn't exactly happy about it. Now he would have to work even harder to cover himself. He had to do something, fast.

"Give me your reports." He barked. They all passed up their reports to Irons, who took them all and placed them into his manila folder.

"Chief?" Jill said quietly. Irons looked over at her uninterested. "Yes?"

"We all think that a formal investigation should be launched into Umbrella's activities. Should this virus make its way to the city, it could be catastrophic. This virus turns nearly everything into a deadly weapon. We're not even sure if that explosion erradicated it either."

Irons' expression didn't change. He knew there wasn't a threat of the T-Virus leaking into the city, that explosion did the job. Of course, he couldn't tell them that.

His pudgy face contorted into an attempt at a smile, and he shook his head disapprovingly. "Who would believe that Umbrella would do such a thing? It would be a slap in the face to the people who have made our city what it is. If you ask me, Valentine, I think all of you are in cahoots. You killed your captain and the teammates you didn't like...and then you found a way to cover it all up yourselves. The only question I have is why...why would you honestly try and make the public and your superiors believe that 'zombies' did this. The S.T.A.R.S. program has been suspended, indefinitely. As for all of you...if you even have some kind of life after justice is served to you you'll be lucky."

"What!?" Barry said, breaking his sullen silence. "That's ridiculous Chief. Wesker told me himself he was working for Umbrella, and even blackmailed me to help him."

"Right. Barry, considering you've actually admitted to being a traitor to S.T.A.R.S., I wouldn't really get too righteous."

"If we all were working together in some kind of twisted plot, then why would I have double crossed my teammates?"

Irons stood, quiet. "I'm finished with all of you. You're dismissed."

The group sat quietly, not moving.

"I SAID GET OUT!" Chief Irons yelled.

Chris glared at Irons, and the group began to shuffle out of the room. Chris got the door for Jill, who took the picture off of her desk of her father in earlier days. As she was walking towards the door, Barry walked up to Irons and handed him his badge and gun.

"I have a clear conscience. I know the truth, and if a proper investigation is done than you'll believe us too. I'm resigning. Maybe it was time to retire anyway..."

Irons took the badge and samurai edge from Barry. "Eh...Goodbye."

Barry turned around and walked out of the S.T.A.R.S. office, feeling like he was leaving his second family behind.

"Barry!" Jill called to him, but there was no answer. He kept walking, completely ignoring the shocked calls of his now former teammates.

He had a plan, and he wasn't going to talk to them where he would be monitored. He had done more digging into Umbrella, and planned to meet up with Chris and Jill about it.

Chris and Jill stood in the hallway outside of their office, in disbelief.

"You know something?" Jill looked at Chris angrily.

Chris arched his eyebrows, as if to question her.

"It wouldn't suprise me if Umbrella was controlling Irons too. Think about it--they had Wesker. It would only make sense that they would have him on their payroll too."

Chris shrugged. "Makes sense to me. I can't believe Barry just quit."

"Did you really plan on staying?"

"Well...I hadn't really thought about it."

"If no one else is going to go after Umbrella, we should."

Irons walked out of the office, carrying his manila folder and still red faced from his meeting with the 'traitors.' He looked at them scornfully.

"You need to leave. NOW."

Chris and Jill looked at him, shaking her head. They walked down to the parking garage together, and got into Chris' car.

"Will you run me home? I've got some things to take care of." Jill asked, biting her lip.

Chris looked at her, his expression softening. "Anything I can help with?"

"No, not really."

"Alright..." Chris said, feeling insecure.

The drive to Jill's house was quiet. He pulled into her driveway, and they both sat there. She smiled at him.

"Thanks for the ride."

"You bet." He leaned in to hug her, and she kissed him on the cheek. He moved to do the same thing, and she kissed him on the corner of his mouth. The two felt the shockwave in both of them, and quickly laughed nervously. They still hadn't kissed...and neither of them were sure when they actually would. It was definitely coming, though.

He chuckled awkwardly. "Call me later, okay?"

She nodded, feeling the emotions she was suppressing starting to rise. "I will."

She stepped out of the car, and walked up to her porch. He pulled out of her driveway, and she waved at him as he drove off. Instead of going inside, she took out her keys and walked over to her car. She got in, and started it up. She looked at the picture she held. She set it gingerly in the passenger's seat and pulled out of her driveway. She drove through Raccoon City slowly, until she got closer to the outskirts. Closer to the site where her life changed, her _ground zero_. When she got to the rural roads, she began to press the accelerator down more. She watched her speedometer go from forty to fifty, and up until she was at eighty. She was driving extremely fast, not worried about what could happen. Tears began to come to her eyes as she knew she was closer. She saw trees, and slowed down as she approached where the forest had been barricaded. She stopped her car, and got out with the car still running.

She looked at the sign. 'NO TRESPASSING! INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS BY S.T.A.R.S.' She felt so angry, so many emotions at once. It still was beyond her belief that Chief Irons would have the audacity to even accuse them of killing their friends and teammates. It drove her crazy. She let out a sob and pulled a handgun out of her blazer. She had been carrying a gun ever since this happened. She chambered a round, and aimed at the sign. A shot rang out in the forest, and a hole appeared in the sign. She kept pulling the trigger, until her gun ran empty. She stood there, her empty pistol still aimed at the sign, now with fifteen bullet holes in it. She dropped the gun to the ground and stood there, crying. She picked up her gun and walked back to her car, and got in. She picked up the picture of her father and looked at him, wanting to talk to him now more than ever. She ran the tip of her index finger over his face, and sighed while wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Dad...What am I supposed to do _now_?"

She sat there for a few more minutes, and set her father's picture back in the seat. She put her car in drive, and turned around to go home. After speeding nearly the entire time to her house, she got out of her car and noticed a note on her door. She shuddered to think who must've dropped by. Her mind was going wild thinking of how many different kinds of threats would be on there, until she pulled it off of her door and noticed the chicken-scratch that belonged to no one other than Barry Burton.

'Jill--

Just stopped by to talk. I've already talked with Chris and shared some information with him. He'll give you the details. Hopefully I'll see you soon.

Barry'

She sighed, and unlocked her door. She walked into her house, throwing her blazer on the couch and slipping off her shoes. She walked over to her phone, and picked it up. She dialed Chris' number carefully.

"Hello?" Chris answered in a tense tone.

"Hey" Jill replied. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Are you finished with what you had to do?"

Jill grimaced. "Yeah, I'm at a stopping point anyway."

"I'm coming to get you, and then we're going to my apartment. I just talked to Barry, and we have a lot to talk about."

Jill felt uneasy. She wasn't sure if she could handle any more bad news.

Okay, so another chapter has been tackled! Sorry it's been taking longer to post these, it's finals week here at school.


	7. Chapter 7

Jill sat in her living room, a place that she used to consider her home. In many ways it still was, she slept there, all of her possessions were still there...but ever since she came home from the Spencer mansion she felt as if Raccoon City had turned its back on her. She looked at a picture that sat on her coffee table of herself and Chris. The two looked so happy, so well rested. She remembered that day very clearly, it had been maybe a month since it had been taken. She looked at her smile, and Chris' half smile with her beret on his head. She desperately wanted to go back to those days. 

She was ripped away from her thoughts when she heard a car pull into her driveway. She looked out of her window, and saw Chris sitting in his car. She set the picture carefully back on her coffee table, and walked out the place she once thought she belonged. Checking to make sure the door was locked, Chris called out to her from his window.

"C'mon, dinner's waiting at my place."

She turned from her door, and walked over to his car, with a slight grin. She got in and the two exchanged a loving glance.

"You cooked dinner for me?"

Chris smirked. "Nah, I ordered Chinese. If we hurry we'll probably beat the delivery guy."

Jill smiled, feeling her uneasiness sweeping over her. She wanted to know what the bad news was, so that she could get all this worrying over with. If she kept it up, she might get an ulcer!

The car ride was quiet, like most of their car rides had been. Jill was trying to concentrate on other things. She was thinking about that picture on her coffee table.

"Do you remember that day we finished work early, and we were joking around with my beret?"

Chris's green eyes flashed with thought. "I think so...didn't you put it on my head?"

They both laughed "Yeah, that's it!"

"Yeah, I remember that...that was a great day."

"Of course it was..." Jill trailed off. "It was before we knew we would face all of this."

Chris' expression faltered a bit as he kept his eyes on the road. "Why did you ask?"

Jill shrugged. "Well, I've got a picture of it on my coffee table, and I forgot about it until earlier."

They pulled into the apartment complex's parking lot, and walked up to Chris' apartment. Chinese food sat at his doorstep, with a note that said 'it's on your tab!'

Jill smirked as Chris knelt down to pick up the food. "You have a tab?" Jill asked playfully.

"Of course. Bachelors don't eat as well as ladies like you who cook."

She chuckled and walked through the door as Chris opened the door for her. She looked around his apartment, which was surprisingly decent for the usual disaster area it was. She went to his couch and gently sat herself down. He followed her and sat the Chinese food on his cluttered coffee table. He fumbled with the bag, trying to get the food out of the bag.

"I got chicken fried rice and sesame beef."

"Sounds good."

Chris took the chopsticks out of the bag, and opened the cartons. The two picked at the food in the cartons, enjoying the food which was surprisingly good in Jill's opinion. A smile crept across Chris' face as she was chewing her food. She watched him continue to watch her, and she swallowed her food.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. You're just really...pretty."

Jill blushed. "Thanks, so are you!"

Chris almost choked on his food. "Pretty? I thought only girls were pretty."

Jill smirked. "Guys can be pretty."

"Only if they're wearing makeup."

Jill laughed. "Okay, well how about cute? Does that work for you?"

Chris sat for a moment, faking serious thought. "Okay, I'll take that one."

She wiped her mouth, and Chris' eyes met hers. The two of them sat there, looking a bit longer. He began to move a bit closer to her, tilting his head slightly to press his lips to hers. Just as they were beginning to close their eyes, they were rudely interrupted by Chris' phone ringing. Both of them let out a sigh, dissappointed by the inconvenience. They both sat, listening to the phone ring.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Jill asked, slightly annoyed.

Chris let a scowl begin to show on his lovesick face.

"No, I don't want to talk to whoever ruined the mood."

Jill's expression turned sour. "Speaking of which..." she trailed off. "Didn't you have something to tell me?"

Chris nodded, knowing the chance had passed. "Yeah, Barry's taking his family to Canada."

Jill frowned. "Why would he do that?"

"He doesn't want Umbrella knowing where his family is, so that they aren't in danger anymore."

She nodded. "Well, I suppose that's for the best."

Chris' expression darkened more. "There's more."

She scowled, waiting for it.

"Umbrella didn't stop with the T-Virus. They created another. It's called G-Virus."

Jill's eyes flashed with anger, and then worry.

"There have already been reports of more cannibal murders."

Jill was disgusted. "I can't believe this. Haven't they done enough damage?"

"Well" Chris began "We have a plan."

Jill closed her eyes, praying it didn't involve what she knew it would.

Okay everyone, it's not as long as I usually do, but there have been some crazy things going on here in my hometown. We've had a horrible ice storm, and we lost power in my house for four days, and half of the town isn't restored. Traffic lights are out everywhere, and all the ice has called nearly thousands of trees to collapse and fall. Anyway, here it is! To my favorite readers!


	8. Chapter 8

"Chris, you CAN'T be serious!" Jill was nearly yelling. "It would be RIDICULOUS to split up again. Bravo team split up and look at what happened to them! Chris, we nearly died there because we split up. It's a solid theory that we have a better chance of surviving if we DON'T split up." 

Chris looked to the floor, knowing Jill's determined eyes would burn through him if he looked up.

"They would expect us to stay together." He said meekly. He knew she wouldn't like the sound of him leaving her in Raccoon for Paris until he and Barry thought it was more safe. He didn't want to leave her; but if he got killed in Paris, there would still be Jill and Barry to keep fighting. At the very worst, Jill would still be there to continue the fight should they fall.

"So because they would expect us to stay grouped up we just ditch logic?"

Chris glanced up at her and back down quickly. "Rebecca is already there."

Jill's pretty face was riddled with anger. Her eyes widened as she spoke.

"So, I'm the LAST person to know about this plan?"

He winced at the truthful statement, but kept silent.

"AM I?"

Chris refused to look up from the floor. "It wasn't meant to be that way. Honestly. Rebecca was the one who had found out about the G-Virus, and let Barry know. Barry told me about it, and about this plan he and Rebecca had come up with. Barry left for Canada to make sure his family was safe, and I'm telling you about this now. It wasn't intentional."

Jill's hard glare softened, and she felt guilty for exploding on him. She still didn't see this as a good idea.

"Umbrella's not stupid Chris. They're not going to try anything in Raccoon, it would be ridiculous and a waste of time to stay here and monitor them here."

"What do you want, Jill? Us to go together or stay together?" Chris was beginning to get angry.

Jill's guilt converted itself back into anger upon hearing Chris' response.

"Either way, I'd be happy. None of us should've gone anywhere alone anyway."

"So you think we should've gone to drop off Barry's family too? That would make us sitting ducks. That's logic alright Jill."

Jill glared at him. "You know what Chris!? You do what you think you have to do. You will anyway."

She got up from her seat on the couch and started towards his door. This was the last thing she really wanted to hear. She didn't want them to be apart. Just the other day he had told her how he felt, and this was exaclty what she was afraid of. Losing him. She didn't need this stress. Like a car backfiring her emotions exploded, sending tears streaming down her face. This was what she HAD NOT wanted to happen. She didn't want Chris to see her like this.

"Where are you going? I drove you."

She spun around in front of the door the tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chris sprang up from the couch with all the anger from his face melted away to show a protective and concerned expression. In the second she turned around and he had seen her, he was there embracing her.

At first, she wanted to push him away and really lay into him for making her like this. She preferred to cry alone, rather than have unwanted attention and false sympathy. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him tightly and pressed her face into his chest, sobbing.

"I just can't take this!" She screamed into him, shuddering.

"I don't want to be here alone! Where all my friends have died, where the town is controlled by some screwed up coporation that makes bioweapons, where our Chief doesn't believe us..."

Chris looked blankly at the wall, holding Jill close with one arm and stroking her hair with his other hand. He listened to her sob, felt her shudder, and he knew she hadn't completely coped with what had happened. It wasn't a bad thing; he hadn't either. He couldn't dwell on it though, he chose to concentrate on nicer things instead, such as Jill.

Jill's crying let up for a second. "Wait..." she said softly, in thought.

"...Barry quit, but you and Rebecca haven't..." She looked up at him. "Have you?"

Chris felt his body tense. "Rebecca sent in a letter, and I think I'm going to be quitting soon too."

Jill's eyes widened with a look of suprise, then anger, and then all in the same second she looked defeated.

"I see...so that leaves me." Her eyes began to well up again.

Chris gently pressed her head to his chest, as if she were a baby.

"I know we've been dealing with a lot lately, and this all was too much to put on you at once. I understand why you'd be upset; I know I would be. I'm sorry."

Jill smiled weakly, and pressed her lips on Chris' cheek.

"A girl could sure use a drink after hearing news like this."

Chris chuckled at her response, and walked her back to his couch. He walked into the kitchen, and opened his refigerator. Like many bachelors, Chris had little food in his refrigerator, but was never low on beer. He grabbed two and closed the door with his foot. He opened them and set them on the counter, throwing the caps into the trash.

"You know something?" he asked as he walked into the living room looking at her.

She looked over to him, with puffy eyes. "Enlighten me...as long as it's not anything bad."

He laughed. "You're still pretty, even when you've been screaming and crying."

She smirked in spite of herself as she realized she couldn't ever be mad at Chris Redfield.

"Thanks."

He handed her a beer and plopped himself next to her in his previous spot. They both took a drink, Jill sipping her beer and Chris taking a small gulp.

"So...where were we?" Chris asked jokingly.

Jill sighed, closed her eyes, and reopened them. "I think if you say I should stay here while you go to Paris, then okay. You just better hurry up and get me."

Chris smiled. "You mean it?"

She nodded. "I'll come later, but if I decide to come before you send for me, then I will."

He nodded, unsure of what she meant. "Fine. You're a big girl."

She laughed.

"I'm tired of talking about this." Chris said. "Let's talk about something else."

Jill nodded. "Let's watch TV or something."

Chris reached over to his coffee table, grabbed his remote, and turned it on. He flipped through the channels, and after about what must've been twenty, he came across a James Bond movie, one of Jill's favorites.

He set the remote down on the couch, and Jill set down her beer. She scooted closer and took his arm, and she lay her head on his shoulder much like she did in the helicopter on the ride home from Spencer Mansion. Jill was emotionally drained for the day. She had cried entirely too much, found out more than she should've in one day, and nearly kissed Chris. It was exhausting for her, though it wasn't that late.

Her eyes felt heavy as she listened to the thick Scottish accent of Sean Connery, and she felt so safe next to Chris, so comfortable...before she knew it she had slipped into sleep.

Chris looked down at Jill as the movie was ending. He had gotten really into the movie, and he had assumed Jill had as well. He looked over at her and smiled when he noticed she was sleeping. He yawned and looked at the clock. It was close to ten. He picked her up gently, and carried her into his bedroom. Laying her down on the side of the bed he didn't sleep on, she stirred and pulled the bedspread over herself. Chris took off his jeans and slid into bed next to her. She scooted close to him again when he got settled, and she lay her head on his chest, close to his neck. He put his arm around her, and fell asleep glad that he had _the_ Jill Valentine asleep in _his_ bed, on _his _chest.

Okay everyone, I knocked out another chapter. Are Chris and Jill EVER going to kiss? Jeez. Sadly, the end is drawing near for this story...but fear not! I have another story already in the works. Don't forget to make my day and review! Oh, and one more thing...I still don't own James Bond.


	9. Chapter 9

Days had turned into weeks, and it had already been nearly a month since the Spencer Mansion incident. S.T.A.R.S. had been completely disbanded in Raccoon City, and replaced with another special group selected by Brian Irons himself. The Raccoon Tribune had done a magnificent job of tarnishing the survivors' reputations, and they continued to tirelessly report incidents of these 'cannibal' murders that were occuring increasingly closer to city limits.

The date was August 23, and Raccoon City had decided Chris and Jill to be untrustworthy. In nearly every right, Umbrella had won the battle in Raccoon City. The city had nearly forgotten the Spencer Mansion incident, and had moved on with their lives seemingly oblivious that the cannibal murders were what had initiated the entire incident. After a serious assessment of their situation and with Rebecca and Barry both in Paris already, it was decided that Jill would stay a bit longer in Raccoon to tie up any loose ends that should arise (including Chris' little sister Claire). Chris stood in the bedroom of his apartment, with his only suitcase packed for his departure. He hadn't packed very many things; only bare necessities.

He let out a small sigh and sat on his bed, letting his mind drift to Jill as he often let it do. He was very glad she was okay with their plan, especially after her initial reaction. He was also extremely glad that he finally mustered the courage to tell her how he truly felt. He was even happier about her response, though unsure at first. He reflected on the past few weeks he had spent with her. Despite the circumstances with Irons trying to ruin them and the psycological scars of that fateful night, he didn't think he'd trade it for the world. It was sad for him to think he would be seperating from her on such short notice--one day.

It wasn't really the way he wanted it to play out, but he could leave the following day or wait a month. If he waited it might be too late for Barry or Rebecca. He cared for Jill very much, but there were larger things than a relationship he had to work with, things involving lives. He saw it as his duty to bring Umbrella down with his comrades. He pictured Irons in jail along with those Umbrella scumbags...and it brought one of his signature electric smiles to his face.

For the first time in a while, Jill was feeling as if she was in control of things. She wasn't necessarily happy about Chris leaving for Paris, in fact she knew she would have a hard time driving him to the airport. She felt the emotions start to rise when she thought about it. They were strong emotions, and Jill wasn't about to face them until she had to. Besides, she wanted to look nice before she met up with Chris at his apartment. After all, French women were infamous for their sexuality, and Jill wanted to make sure to give him something to remember her by while they were apart.

She looked at her well coiffed hair, smoky eyes and put on a bit of lip gloss that made her pouty lips gain a little luster. She walked over to her closet, and began to search for what she would consider to be a suitable outfit for mesmerizing Chris. She picked up a small black midriff shirt that showed off quite a bit of stomach. Jill scoffed at herself, remembering when she bought the shirt and still having not worn it. She aimlessly tossed the shirt over her shoulder, thinking if she wore that she would give him the wrong impression. She grabbed a silky red halter top, and looked at it carefully. After a moment of consideration, she put it on her well toned body and began to search for the next article of clothing. She pulled a pair of dressy black slacks out of her closet, and put them on. She looked at herself in the mirror, and decided she was missing one last touch: heels. After a few minutes of cursing and searching, she found a pair of dusty black pumps. She dusted them off, and slid her feet into them. She looked at the clock and let out another obscenity, and hurried out of the door clicking with each step.

She got into her car, cursing herself for taking so long to get ready. She had wasting time trying to look nice when she could've just stayed there with Chris. Normally Jill stayed with the speed limit, but instead she drove a bit more hastily. She had one last night with the man she cared about immensely, and she intended to make the most of the evening. For all she knew, there was a chance they might never see one another again. She swerved her little car into the parking lot of Chris' apartment complex, and hurried to his apartment.

Chris sat on the couch looking over his considerably cleaner apartment. He had discouraged Jill from cleaning at his apartment, but she had found ways to do it behind his back from the looks of things. He smiled to himself, reminding himself of how maternal she can be. He listened to the clopping of what sounded like high heels coming up the stairs outside. The heeled shoes came closer to his front door, and stopped with a knock. He got up from the couch, and looked through the peephole to see the amazing beauty that was emantating from Jill. He immediately opened his door, with a look of shock on his face. He had seen her 'dolled' up before, but he hadn't seen her so stunning before.

She smiled at him through her smokey eyes, and Chris couldn't help but smile back.

"You didn't have to dress up for me."

Jill's eyes glittered. "Of course I did."

Chris looked at her, still grasping for words. "Oh? Why is that?"

She walked up to him, and gave him a hug. Whispering into his ear, she replied "I want you to see what you're missing while you're in Paris." She kissed the side of his head close to his ear, and Chris backed away. He wasn't sure if she knew what she was doing to him, but if she wasn't careful she would definitely begin to catch on.

"So while I'm gone, will you keep an eye on my place until you come to Paris?"

She nodded. "I planned on it."

He nodded back, desperate to keep his mind on something else other than how gorgeous she was.

She looked over to the clock, and her pretty face's happy expression sank.

"It's kinda late. You're probably going to want to go to bed soon for your flight."

Chris shook his head. "Not before I do one thing I've always wanted to do with you."

Jill blushed. "We haven't even kissed yet Chris!"

Chris chuckled. "I see where your mind is at, Valentine. Hold on a second." He walked over to the radio and turned on the CD player. A familiar song filled the room, the same song that Jill had listened to the day they shared her bed. The woman's sensual voice began to fill the room yet again, and Chris walked over to her and put his arms around her waist. She returned the embrace, putting her arms around his neck and the two slow danced as he watched Jill's face turn a bit more red.

"How did you know I liked this song?" She asked sheepishly.

He smiled back down lovingly at her. "I'll let you in on a secret. I wasn't asleep when you listened to this song with me."

Jill's face was as red as her shirt. She looked away as they swayed slowly in time with the music. They continued their embrace, and Chris put his forehead on hers towards the end of the song. The two locked eyes, and Chris moved in slowly to do what he had wanted to do so badly with her. Their lips were less and a millimeter apart when Jill made a wrong step on her high heeled shoe and began to fall to the floor. It wasn't intentional, but she took Chris down with her when she fell.

The song had faded out of the room, leaving it filled with laughter between the two.

"You okay?" Chris asked, nearly lying on top of her.

Jill wasn't sure what happened. Either she lost her footing in her heels, or she went weak in the knees. Either way, the two of them were now in the floor.

She let out a breathy chuckle. "I think I'll cope."

He got up slowly from the floor, and helped her up to her feet. They looked at each other fondly, and Jill's face began to turn a light shade of crimson yet again.

"Maybe you should ditch the shoes."

They both laughed again.

She looked down at the floor, and he noticed a flicker of sadness in her face.

"We should get to bed. You have a plane to catch tomorrow."

He nodded, understanding the expression. He was sure he had the same expression in his face. The two walked into the bedroom after turning off the radio and lights, stripped down and lay in bed. She scooted up close to him, and they held each other tightly. The two both lay still, thinking they were allowing the other to sleep. Unbeknownst to both of them, there wasn't a wink of sleep to be had that night.

Jill would lie awake, thinking about how she would cope until she was finally able to reunite with Chris. She wouldn't be able to speak to him until it was time for her to go.

Chris would lie awake holding Jill, nearly positive she was asleep and for the first time since he lost his parents he was fighting quiet tears from fear of never seeing her again.

Okay, whoever can find the original RE1 reference gets a gold star! 


	10. Chapter 10

Jill's eyes caught Chris', and they didn't let go. His piercing emerald eyes met her determined azures and they gave each other a hard stare. There were no words between them, there wasn't a need for them to clutter things. They were standing in an airport, and Chris held his one way ticket to Paris, France. He was going to an Umbrella stronghold, and meeting up with Barry. As soon as they met, Jill would meet up with them from there.

They just stood in front of each other, completely fixated on one another's eyes. Jill was set on keeping her eyes dry, though the thought this could be the last time they ever saw each other was eating away at her composure, as it was his too. Anything was possible. Jill could be assassinated while she stayed in Raccoon City, and Barry and Chris had a million other dangers facing them in Paris. She let out a ragged sigh as they announced his plane boarding. He tucked the airplane ticket in his back pocket, and took her hand in his, still locked in a stare.

The emotion between the two was felt in the entire airport, so many unspoken words and quiet affections. There was so much between the two that they had simply grown accustomed to the tension between them. Everything in Jill told her this was wrong. She should be with him, she should be going...but Chris insisted that she stay to monitor Umbrella's activites and in the meantime Chris and Barry would lay the groundwork for going after Umbrella's secrets. When they felt they had a grip on things, they would send for her.

She still didn't think that justified them leaving her. She had spent so much time with Chris since the Mansion incident, rarely leaving each others' sides even in sleep. They had even started dating...which Jill had grown to love. She flinched inwardly at the word. Love...could it be?

Although the two were staring in each other's eyes, Chris couldn't read her expression this time. He tried desperately, taking her hand to get something, anything at all from her...but instead she only squeezed his hand. He was confident he would see Jill again, but on the same token should something happen--he couldn't bear the thought. She had become exactly what he had only dreamt she would be: his girlfriend. He wanted to just take her and run as far away as he could with her, forsaking the rest of the world. As long as he had her, he felt as if he could do anything. He was fighting a tidal wave of sadness, as he knew there would be no correspondence between them until he sent for her, and no one knew how long that would take. He wanted to tell her the depth of his feelings...he wanted to tell her that it was so much more than 'dating' to him...that he loved--he stopped. Love?

Their eyes were still deadlocked, hands were still clasped together tightly...but words had yet to come to them.

Jill blinked, and listened to the woman call out the boarding announcement for his fight. She just couldn't bring herself to say goodbye, even when she would see him again. She didn't want him to be away from her; she wanted him there to make her laugh when she doesn't want to, she wanted him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, she wanted to feel like nothing would seperate them. Most of all, she wanted to see him smile.

"Well...That's my flight." Chris said flatly.

She could see the feelings she felt reflect in his eyes. How could she be so stupid? She would see him again. After all, he's Chris Redfield...working with Barry Burton! They would be fine.

Determined azure eyes softened to eyes of a woman in love--a woman who was already missing her better half. Chris watched before his very eyes as Jill transformed from the girl he had a thing for to the woman he could see himself with forever. The concern in Jill's eyes was overflowing into perfect little droplets at the corners of her eyes. Her soft bottom lip began to quiver as her determination refused to lose to tears.

Holding her hands, and still yet maintaining their gaze, he leaned closer to her. He put his arms around her waist and her shaky hands slid up his arms and around his neck. The tight embrace faltered a bit as Chris moved his head to face her, literally eye to eye. He gently and protectively kissed her eyelid, and a tear escaped from her eye.

"We WILL see each other again, I'm certain of that." Chris said to her, reassuringly.

"And when we do finally meet up, we'll never part again."

She nodded, looking into his eyes.

He nuzzled his nose against hers, and like magnets their lips met.

Their first kiss was bittersweet, and unexpected. Jill had never imagined kissing him in a situation like this. She had always imagined it completely differently.

It seemed to last forever, and they held each other as tightly as they could. His lips felt softer than she had imagined. Chris always surprised her, and for the better.

After what seemed like an hour, their kiss ended. The two of them took a deep breath, and released it.

"That was a hell of a parting gift." Chris said, flashing his ever electric smile at her.

He reached up and wiped away the tear on her cheek. She smiled, seeming relieved.

"I'll be seeing you, Jill. I always will."

Jill's eyes welled up as she smiled and broke her silence. "Don't you forget about me, Chris Redfield."

He scoffed. "Of all the things I can do, I could never do that."

He pulled the ticket out of his pocket, and picked up his suitcase. He gave her one last squeeze and reassuring smile.

"See you, Valentine."

She wiped a tear from her face and smiled.

"Ciao, Redfield."

(Sniffles) Okay, It's been decided. One more chapter, and then I will begin my next story. I'll give you the details when the last chapter is submitted. Until then, friends! Keep reading and reviewing! 


	11. Chapter 11

_'September 28th, daylight...'_

Jill sat on the bed in Chris' apartment, listening to police sirens, screams and gunfire. She would've turned on the TV to see if any progress has been made in containing the T-Virus, but she already knew the monsters had taken out the studios. The radio was basically a no-go as well...it seemed Raccoon City was paying for putting so much trust into Umbrella. She scoffed to herself.

_I guess they'll have to believe me now._

She shook her head and shuddered at a lifeless moan that came distantly from outside Chris' door. She looked around Chris' bedroom, at the clothes in his floor. Her eyes went from there to the dresser, cluttered with knick-knacks and random articles of clothing. Her eyes then met the mirror and she began to study her reflection from the bed. Her short brown hair was tucked behind her ears, and she was dressed up in a blue tube top and a black mini skirt. It wasn't her usual attire, she had worn a black blazer to match the skirt when she resigned at RPD. Chief Irons had been exceptionally grouchy towards her as usual, and she had no issues telling him where he could stick her job.

Of course, she had worn heels when she had gone in to Irons, but she had quickly traded them with a pair of knee high motorcycle boots. It wasn't quite her clothes that bothered her, though...it was her face.

Her face, usually cheerful and bright, was dull from loneliness and concern. It had been over a month since Chris walked away from her at the airport, since she had seen him, or even kissed him. She had been with him so much, she was nearly lost when he wasn't there to make her smile. She had stayed at his apartment so much, because for all she knew it was essentially_ all _she had left of Chris. All of his possessions were here, his clothes...his bed smelled like him. It was comforting to Jill to at least be able to smell him. It reminded her of the way things used to be, before zombies and conspiracies and death. She desperately wished things had turned out differently.

When she hadn't been thinking of Chris, she was worrying about what was happening in the city. The cannibal murders were occuring in the city, and within a week of the first incident in the city the Army was called in with the National Guard. Another day and the entire city was quarantined, and in the next two days Raccoon City had lost nearly the entire police force, swat team and any trained medical professional to the rest of the mutated citizens and creations of Umbrella's. Communications went down next, and that's where Jill stood.

She sighed, wondering what Chris and Barry would make of this. At first, she had felt angry with them because this scenario had always been plausible. Why hadn't they prepared for this? She shook her head slightly, wondering if she was slowly losing her mind. She couldn't possibly be mad at them for not being able to predict the future. However, her chances of survival would be better if she had someone to work with. After all, if it weren't for Barry, Chris, and Richard, she wouldn't be alive. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to cry...but she couldn't muster an emotion.

She closed her eyes, attempting to focus and understand the situation clearly. If she was going to survive, she would need more than a handgun and a clip of ammunition. She would also need better firepower, possibly a lockpick, and a plan. As she began to form the first steps of her escape, she began to felt the first emotion she had felt in a while: anger. She thought it was the word escape that got to her.

With the dull sensation of hatred in the pit of her stomach, she muttered to herself.

"This is my _last_ escape. From here, it will be Umbrella that does the running."

She heard an explosion, and deducted that it must have been a grenade. She had also been hearing automatic weapons firing. She had made the assumption that there were a few National Guard or Army personnel alive. She wanted to find the gunfire, team up with them and make it out alive, but she wanted to stay in Chris' apartment a bit longer. She had the sinking feeling that this would be the last time she would ever be here.

So instead of setting out to escape before a greater danger arises, she sat on Chris' bed, smelling him for one last time. She reached over at the white sweatshirt that was on the bed. It belonged to Chris, and had a small S.T.A.R.S. insignia embroidered on the left side, with 'Redfield' under it. She pressed it to her face, smelling it. She then tied it around her waist gingerly, thinking that Chris would appreciate her bringing him something that would remind him of the past, and that she might need it for warmth later.

She sat back down on the bed, and reached over to the Beretta sitting on the bedspread. She picked it up, and checked the clip. She then chambered a round, and held the gun in her hand. The last time she had held a gun it was _that night..._

She blinked. That was all in the past. It was time for her to survive a new nightmare.

She stood up from Chris' bed, and walked into the living room. She turned around and looked around one last time, as if to say goodbye. She walked out of the door, and closed it behind her. As her boots hit the floor in the hallway, she listened to see if any carriers were nearby. She walked slowly past the other doors, making her way down the stairs. As she took a breath, she smelled the tainted scent of propane. She could hear hissing in one of the apartments, along with a low moan. She took another step and heard the shuffle of five carriers shambling toward her. She grimaced at their faces, flesh sloughing off with dried blood. It looked like one of them was missing an eye as well. She knew that there were too many of them, and that she had to get away from there as fast as she could--without shooting. Doing so would cause at least the first level of the apartment building to explode.

She ran in the opposite direction, down the hallway to an emergency exit. She was cut off, however, when about seven more carriers had caught whiff of her scent. The others had seemed to catch up with her, and she was trapped between the two groups of zombies. She backed up to a window, watching the two groups close in on her. Making a hasty decision and praying it didn't kill her, she took a few steps away from the window, and ran towards it, firing a shot at her closest threat while jumping out the window. There was an extremely loud explosion, and Jill felt the searing heat hit her back as it propelled her into the street. She hit the pavement hard, knocking the breath out of her and making her drop her gun. For a second Jill lay there in the pavement, feeling foolish for doing such a destructive thing to Chris' apartment building. However, if she hadn't she wouldn't be alive...it seemed a fair trade. The ghastly moaning of yet another mutated citizen brought Jill to her senses, and she picked herself up off of the pavement. She watched one of the zombies gimp towards her, his leg severely mangled, most likely from one of the cerebruses. She looked to the ground, trying to find her gun. She picked it up and aimed quickly, shooting it in the head.

She watched the creature twitch on the ground as she listend to the guttural moans of more carriers behind her through the ringing from the explosion.

"Damn it, Redfield." She sighed. "You'd _better_ be alive."

**Alright, so it wasn't necessarily closure, but we already know what happens, now don't we? I had a blast writing this story, and I really appreciate all of your reviews and ideas.**

**Since no one caught the RE1 reference from the previous chapter, it's actually when Jill finds her black midriff shirt. When you unlock the extra costumes, one of them is Jill in a black midriff shirt with grey jeans. So there you have it!**

**As for my next story...I haven't got a title for it yet, but I'm going to run with Scholar JVG's suggestion of doing a pre-mansion story involving my favorite characters Chris and Jill (flirtation is PROMISED). I haven't worked out a title yet, but I have many ideas as to what will be going on in the story. If you're interested in keeping track of it (especially you, faithful reviewers!) or if you have something you'd like to be incorporated in the story, I encourage you to add me to your Author alert list so that you'll be able to watch for it.**

**This was my first fan fiction, and I'm very glad it was received as well as it was. Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, and stick around for more from _Drew Skye_!**


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